Danganronpa: Towering Despair
by Nevermaker
Summary: Hitori Wakamatsu is a new student at Hope's Peak Academy, but on her first day, she passes out at the school gates. When she awakens, she finds that she and fifteen other students have been trapped in a dizzyingly tall tower; the only way out is to kill each other. Can Hitori and her new companions find a way out of the tower before they're killed?
1. Prologue: Ghost of Yet-To-Come

Silence.

It crept along the dark, empty halls, settled like dust in every corner of the facility. No light, no movement, and not a single sound could break the heavy drape of the silence.

Except for one room: a room filled with light. It was a small room, with barely enough room to move around, with only a chair and a long terminal covered in buttons, switches, screens, and a cavalcade of information. Other screens were crowded around the chair, filling with numbers and images, scrolling further and further with updates as the system refreshed itself and installed new settings.

The pair of eyes watching the screens narrowed, and the lips beneath them curled up into a sour, crooked smile. From their seat in the chair, they could see each screen, and the sight of the new updates was one they'd waited a long time for. True, it had taken a huge amount of effort to set up the terminal here, hauling the many, _many_ wires and apparatuses into this area and programming them into the system, merging them with the pre-existing network.

But, if all went according to plan, it would be worth it. No, more than worth it: it would be a pleasure.

Finally, the screens pinged with a message: all systems were up and running at 100% capacity. Reaching up, the individual hit the switch, and flicked on the secondary screen. It lit up with a flash, and they could see it: the central area, crowded with chairs and a podium, just like a proper opening ceremony. In one chair lay a girl, slumped over, her head in her arms, cradling a small electronic device.

Their smile widening, the individual hit the switch again, and again, and again. With each flick of the switch, a new room clicked into view, with each new room providing a sound feed into the control room. It worked like a dream: interworking the viewing system with the security camera feed had been an excellent idea.

They almost wished they'd thought of it.

As they switched back to the central area, they saw the girl in the chair begin to stir, faint groans coming through the speakers. As they put their hands on the complicated controls, the sinister smile on their face widened, and widened, until it almost reached the tips of their ears: a manic, evil grin that spoke volumes about what was in store.

As they watched the individual pieces come together on the screen, they whispered four words.

"Let the games...begin..."


	2. Chapter 1: Royals In The Tower (Part 1)

The academy's points and spires stretched up to reach the sky. Somehow, it seemed taller and more majestic than even the skyscrapers that surrounded it, as if the building itself was radiating an aura of dignity and wonder.

Or maybe it was just her imagination. After all, how long had she been waiting for this day? It wasn't surprising that she was projecting her excitement.

And as Hitori Wakamatsu stood before the gates of Hope's Peak Academy, staring up at the spires with an expression of lip-biting excitement, she felt like she'd taken her first step into a world beyond her wildest dreams.

She became aware that she was clenching her fists, and crushing the admissions notice in her hand. Hurriedly, she relaxed her grip, smoothed out the newly-made creases in the letter, and started reading it once again, as if to confirm it to herself.

 _Dear Miss Hitori Wakamatsu,_

 _It is our deepest pleasure to inform you that, after much deliberation, you have been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. As per tradition, you have been granted a title appropriate for your talent: you will be known as..._

Eager to re-read the part that had excited her most, she skipped down the page.

 _It is our hope that, as a student at our academy, you will be able to focus and develop your talent, and drive the world forward into the future that we all strive for. It would be our honor to provide you with our every resource so that you can reach this goal._

 _We look forward to having you as a student._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Jin Kirigiri  
Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy_

The thought of being able to do that, to be able to focus and mold herself into the kind of person that could make a difference, earn the respect of others, work with the people who strived to create the future...that was what made Hitori so excited.

She raised her head again, staring up, up, up at the building that stood before her. Hope's Peak Academy was not just a private elite school: it was a school for the highest of the high, the geniuses who stood out from the crowd with their exceptional and unique talents. And there was another aspect of Hope's Peak Academy, so well-known and ingrained in the public consciousness that anyone, if asked, could say it verbatim: _"If you graduate from that school, you'll be guaranteed success in life."._

Hope's Peak lived up to it's name, no question: it was a school that gave the entire country hope. The most promising members of an entire generation, gathered under one roof, all of them contributing more and more to society each year...it was no wonder that the place was so beloved.

There were no entrance exams: the school itself scouted you if you met their criteria. The two requirements for acceptance into Hope's Peak were that you must be a current high school student, and you must be the very best in your respective field. Well, that was the case for most candidates, but Hitori's situation was...somewhat different from that of most students.

But she didn't have time to stand in front of the gates pondering all day. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she sucked in a deep breath, trying to ignore the nervous energy building up in her stomach. She was walking into the most prestigious school in the country: she couldn't show any fear.

"Here we go, Hitori." she murmured to herself. "This is when everything changes!"

With that, she took her first step through the gate, the first step into Hope's Peak, the first step into a new life entirely. But the moment she stepped through the gate, the world began to swirl and twist before her eyes, spinning and blending into itself like a hypnotic spiral. A wave of dizziness passed over her, and her head began to spin along with everything else around her. Before Hitori even knew what was happening, her entire world was plunged into darkness, and her mind faded away.

She had said it herself: everything was about to change. And that was truer than she could have ever imagined.

"Ohhhhh..."

As a low groan stumbled out of Hitori's mouth, her consciousness slowly began to resurface. Her eyes slowly blinked open, and she lifted her head out of her arms, shaking her head to clear her fuzzy thoughts.

 _Where...am I?_

Looking up and focusing on her surroundings, Hitori felt a sudden prickle of unease run down her spine: she didn't recognize the room she was sitting in at all. She was seated in a crowd of chairs, split into two groups with an aisle between them, facing a large podium. The room itself was enormous, easily twice the size of a school gymnasium, but it was perfectly round, the walls a stark white and large red banners hanging from them, with the Hope's Peak crest emblazoned on them. It looked exactly like an entrance ceremony.

Hitori placed a hand to her temple, trying to steady herself and organize her thoughts. The last thing she remembered, she'd been outside the school. She'd walked through the school gates, and then...then she was here. Had she fainted outside the school, and someone had brought her here? Was she inside Hope's Peak? But if this was Hope's Peak, and the entrance ceremony, then where was everybody?

The unease was slowly turning into outright nervousness, but Hitori took a deep breath and forced the instinctive panic down. There had to be an explanation for this. As she stood up on unsteady legs, she took another look around and noticed something: there were doors, at least six of them, each one as stark white as the walls, all leading out of the room. She certainly wasn't going to find any clues as to what was going on in here, so she steeled herself and, picking the door that was closest to her, walked out of the room.

Hitori found herself in a long hallway that curved away so she couldn't see far away. The carpet under her feet was a rich gold, but the walls looked like they were made of stone, and were a stodgy beige/brown. Despite the electric lights overhead, the whole place felt dark and oppressive, and Hitori couldn't help but gulp nervously. Without being able to see into the distance, she felt almost claustrophobic in the hallway. Not just that, but the silence from the other chamber persisted even here: it was so quiet that Hitori could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so...alone.

 _SLAM!_

"WAAUUGH!" Hitori yelped, jumping so badly she almost left the floor and wheeling around, her hand on her heart, which was suddenly pounding so hard she thought it might break her ribs.

At the end of the hall, a short distance away, was another door, and standing in front of that door, her hand still on the knob, was a girl looking at Hitori with an expression of surprise, which quickly turned into an expression of cool, collected calm. Before Hitori could speak a word, the girl strode towards her in quick, measured steps, stopping only a few paces from her.

"Who are you?" the girl asked curtly, her glance flickering over Hitori's face and body as if trying to analyze every inch of her: it was more than a little unsettling, especially since she never made eye contact. Before Hitori could even reply, the girl's eyes flicked up and focused on her face, but still not on her eyes. "Ah, could it be...? Are you also a student of Hope's Peak Academy?"

Hitori blinked rapidly in surprise, taken aback by the girl's words. "Also? So, are you-?"

"Yes, I am a freshman student of Hope's Peak." the girl cut her off swiftly. She looked like she belonged behind a librarian's desk: she wore a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow and a red string-tie dangling from her collar, a navy-blue pleated skirt that fell to just above her knees, and black flats on her feet. Her jet-black hair fell to just past her shoulders and was neatly tucked behind her ears, and her cool green eyes gazed out from behind thick black-rimmed glasses. She was quite pretty, in a bookish sort of way.

Hitori drew in a surprised breath, then let it out in a relieved sigh. "So this _is_ Hope's Peak after all!" she laughed, a smile lighting up her face. "That's a relief, I was worried that-"

"No."

The girl's simple, blunt reply brought Hitori up short. Her relief turned to confusion so quickly she thought she might have emotional whiplash. Her brow creased, and she looked up at the girl, bewildered. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"No, this isn't Hope's Peak Academy." the girl elaborated, pushing her glasses up by the bridge. "This hallway-" She gestured down the hallway emphatically. "-curves along with the perimeter of the central room. The other rooms are on a curve as well, implying that the entire building is completely round." She fixed her eyes on Hitori's for the first time. "There are no completely round areas in Hope's Peak that I'm aware of. That implies one of two possibilities: we are not in Hope's Peak, or we are, and this is simply an area unknown to the public." She looked away, her jaw tightening. "I'm not sure which possibility is more unsettling."

As Hitori listened to the girl's explanation, she felt the same unease from before return with a vengeance. "But that doesn't make any sense!" she exclaimed. "If we're not in Hope's Peak, where are we? And how did we get here?"

"Excellent questions, and ones I intend to discover the answer to." the girl replied. "If you will excuse me, I must investigate further." And with that, the girl walked past Hitori and started down the hall.

"H-hey, wait!" Hitori called, taken aback by the girl's brusque behavior. "Where are you going? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet!"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks and turned around slowly: to Hitori's surprise, she looked almost embarrassed. "Oh...right...introductions..." she said slowly, as if she was reminding herself.

"You're not used to introducing yourself?" Hitori asked curiously, approaching the girl.

"I'm not used to a variety of social customs. I...generally avoid them when I can." the girl replied, reaching up to rub the back of her neck, which was quickly turning red. Her cool demeanor seemed to have vanished, replaced with flustered awkwardness. "At any rate...my name is Tayuya Enigami. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Hitori blinked in surprise: she knew that name from the news sites she frequented. Tayuya Enigami was famous for being a scientific marvel: she was perhaps the only person alive who had a true photographic memory, able to recall even the tiniest detail from anything she experienced. Though her memory had been studied and tested by several research institutes since she was a child, no one had been able to figure out what quirk of genetics had given her the ability. However, she'd been scouted for Hope's Peak as the Super High School Level Eidetic in the hope that they could unlock the secret of her flawless memory.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Hitori Wakamatsu!" she replied with a warm smile, hoping to ease Tayuya's discomfort. "I'm the Super High School Level-"

Suddenly, Hitori's voice broke off, and her thoughts ground to a halt. It was like she'd been driving down a road, only to unexpectedly come to a cliff face: just empty space where there should have been something more. She creased her brow, trying to concentrate, but it was no use: no matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't bring the memory of her talent to the surface.

It was suddenly a bit hard for her to breathe.

"...I'm sorry, the Super High School Level what?" Tayuya asked confusedly, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I...I'm sorry, I...I think my head's still a little fuzzy." Hitori managed, placing a hand to her temple. "I can't...remember..."

"You can't recall your talent?" Tayuya wondered, her expression turning troubled, and her hand coming up to stroke her chin in a thoughtful pose. "That's unusual...I've experienced no lapses in memory...why are our similar experiences suddenly diverging this way? Is it possible..."

She seemed to be trailing off into talking to herself, leaving Hitori to puzzle over her faded memory by herself. How was it possible that she couldn't remember her talent? She'd remembered it before she'd arrived, she knew that! Hell, she'd been looking at it just before she-

A bolt of inspiration suddenly struck Hitori. "My admissions notice!" she burst out.

Tayuya, who'd been lost in thought, started and looked up at Hitori in surprise. "I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"My admissions notice!" Hitori repeated excitedly, relief spreading through her. "I had it on me when I was coming through the gate! It has my talent on it, I can look at it and remember it!"

"You...got an admissions notice from the school?" Tayuya asked, looking puzzled. "But as I recall, students from Hope's Peak are scouted by the school: why were you given a written confirmation that you were accepted?"

"Oh, heh heh...that's a long story." Hitori said, chuckling weakly and trying to brush off the question. "Anyway, I just have to check that, and-"

As she spoke, Hitori stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket, but as she did, her voice trailed off again, her face turning to confusion, then alarm as she patted her pockets. "My-my notice! It's gone!" she exclaimed, desperately rummaging through her jacket. As she did, another realization dawned on her. "And my phone! My wallet! Where are all my things?!"

"As I suspected." Tayuya said solemnly. "When I awoke, all my belongings were missing as well: my phone, e-reader, computer, all gone." She let out a small sigh. "Whoever brought us here must have taken our possessions: I can only imagine it's to prevent us from reaching people or information on the outside."

"Why would they want to do that?" Hitori asked miserably, running a hand down her face. All of this, coming at her at once...she was starting to feel more than a little overwhelmed.

"I can't say for sure, but I can't imagine it's for any kind of benevolent purpose." Tayuya replied, her detached composure completely restored. Hitori wondered if she realized how depressing and horrifying the things she was saying were. "I suspect there are more clues elsewhere, which is why I began investigating this place when I found myself here."

Tayuya glanced behind her at the long, curved hallway. "Speaking of which, I ought to continue doing so. It's crucial that I understand what is going on here." She turned back to Hitori, giving her a polite nod. "You have provided me with useful information, Hitori Wakamatsu. Your assistance has contributed to my understanding, and I am grateful."

With that, Tayuya started to turn away. Hitori suddenly had a flash of anxiety shiver through her body: being all alone in this place wasn't an appealing thought. "Hey, wait!" she called, taking a step towards Tayuya. The other girl turned to face her, looking surprised. "Can...I come with you?"

Tayuya's surprised expression turned to puzzlement. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked.

Hitori blinked, slightly taken aback: wasn't it obvious? "Because I don't want to be alone in here. It's a comfort thing, you know?"

"I'm not sure I'll be a useful escort." Tayuya said. "I'm not skilled in any kind of self-defense: if we're in danger, I won't be able to protect you. If anything, we'll both be helpless. But if you insist, you can accompany me."

"Your comforting skills are in rare form, Tayuya." Hitori deadpanned, moving to stand beside the other girl.

"Is that sarcasm?" Tayuya replied, looking as if she genuinely didn't know. Hitori was actually kind of impressed at how the girl could be so analytical, and yet be so clueless when it came to other people's feelings.

"Yes. Yes, it was." Hitori said exasperatedly. She took a deep breath, trying to ease her edgy nerves: getting snippy with Tayuya wasn't going to help either of them. "Alright, shall we get moving? We've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Yes, let's go. I find myself curious as to what we'll find." Tayuya agreed.

As the two started walking, Hitori felt a little more at ease: even if the other girl was eccentric, brutally honest, and clueless about any kind of social interaction, at least she wasn't alone in here. Maybe she could make it through this place, whatever it was, if she had someone by her side.

She'd just have to wait and see.


End file.
